B.S.NAGARAJ writes from Bangalore: Watching the sensational developments in Swami Nithyananda‘s “ashram” over the last couple of days and his “escape” to an undisclosed location, you wouldn’t be wrong in concluding that there is a republic within the republic of India.

And that republic is less than an hour away from Bangalore in a town called Bidadi.

Here the laws of India don’t apply. Just like the Vatican. You and me have to seek an appointment to get inside. Government officials have to wait at the gates before they are escorted in through the various layers of security by Nithyananda’s minions.

Yesterday when a scuffle broke out between Nithyananda’s thugs who call themselves brahmacharis and brahmacharins and a few Kannada activists who went there for a press conference posing as journalists, the police were forced to register a case.

Nithyananda was named accused no.1.

The police go there reluctantly looking for him. A couple of hours later, the DC and SP emerge from inside to say they don’t know where NIthyananda is but add they have advised his associates that it is better for him to return to the ashram only “after the storm dies down.”

So, did they facilitate his escape?

More than 60 hours later, there is still no word on Nithyananda’s whereabouts. But a minister, as well as the DC and SP, are said to have called on him at a resort nearby where he has taken refuge, even while they continuing to say with a straight face that that they are not aware where the self-proclaimed God-incarnate is.

Meanwhile, one news channel carries on with its relentless coverage of the horror that is Nithyananda. Claiming to be victims of his sexual exploitation, people recount the gory details of the abuse to which they were subjected to by Nithyananda and his gang on Suvarna television.

Parents of victimised young men and women weep.

There is a welter of support and sympathy for the victims from viewers, many phoning in from the US, Singapore, Poland, Dubai, etc. Angry protesters burn his effigies across the state, demanding that he be externed to Tamil Nadu, his home state.

The government is unmoved. Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda is busy signing MoUs with investors in Bangalore. Home Minister R.Ashok and Law Minister Suresh Kumar make some feeble noises about taking action.

Little else.

On the other hand, the government moves in quickly to quell any potential violence during a planned protest march in Bidadi on Sunday by taking custody of many activists this evening.

Curiously, most newspapers and television channels are pretending as if what’s happening in Bidadi isn’t news-worthy. Reportage of Nithyananda-related events, if at all, is cursory. Opposition political parties are no better either in their response.

Other religious heads, save a few, don’t appear to be bothered. One mutt head has the gall to say that Nithyananda, whose devotees list include actors Malavika Avinash and Juhi Chawla, is the target of a conspiracy.

Ditto for pro-Hindutva outfits.

Not a murmur from our rent-a-quote intellectuals either. No Ananthamurthy, no Bhyrappa, no Girish Karnad, no Devanooru, no Rajkumar fans’ association.

The leading lights of the IT industry who have an opinion about everything in the IT capital may think it is none of their business, though many of the sex swami’s victims are sterling techies.

A few weeks back, the Sadananda Gowda government took control of the 15th century Sosale Vyasaraja Mutt in Mysore on the charge that the pontiff was misusing mutt property for personal benefit.

No tears need be shed for Sosale but if the government is sitting ostrich-like over far serious charges against Nithyananda, there is surely room for suspecting its motives.

Victims have told the channel that the swami used to brainwash them into believing that he was God, and that having sex with him would enlighten them. Apart from sexual battery and physical violence, they have charged the “Paramahamsa” of keeping them in the ashram against their wishes, making them part with their money, and much else.

30 comments

Nagraj is way out of line with his comments which are based on rumors, assumptions, gossips, etc. and are no better than Suvarna carrying on the vendetta against Nithyananda. None of the material published by the channel against Nithyananda has been validated but it has used it media reach to whip up public opinion against him. To call brahmacharis and brahmacharinis thugs is slanderous. Very clearly Nagaraj is highly biased and is basing his opinion on media news, which he should know by now is always NEVER objective nor does most media follow or apply journalistic standards of reporting news.

There is no Law in this country. What we call law is a tool for providing unproductive employment to the judicial system and business opportunity to lawyers, a harassment tool for the politicians and the rich

The brahmacharis and brahmacharinis are thugs? What sort of nonsensical accusation is this, Mr. Nagaraj? Get a clue, sir!

As far as I saw in the video footage, the thuggery was committed by the ruffian wearing the striped t-shirt that called himself a Kannada activist. The ashram manager had every right to restrict entry to anyone as the ashram is private property. But the self-appointed Kannada activist, unfortunately, did not accept that authority and began to behave worse and worse. The police, as usual, failed to assert any authority over anybody. It was a shame.

Let us look at the facts first
1) Suvarna started airing dubious claims from a woman. Nithyananda replied through press release. Assault continues on Suvarna TV
2) Nithyananda says the matter is sub-judice, but because the war is being waged through media, he invites for a press conference for clarification.
3) Various people under the garb of media try to serve summons on him (a la trial by media).
4) When they were sent out of the hall, they created a scuflle and then returned back with goondas who jump the gates and thrash up innocent people. Police stand helpless.
5) When Nithyananda calls for another press conference to highlight this episode, more goondas create violence and accuse Nithyananda of being against Kannadas (BTW, no other state has benefited more than Karnataka from NIthyanandas free social services)
6) The police arrest 35 of the ashram people ostensibly for being victims
7) Next government wants to take over high-value land on which ashram sits.

Smells like LAND GRAB from the begining. The politicians are easily being caught in coal scams and other mining scams. Innocent Swamis are easy prey as everybody assumes shady things happen with Swamis.

Why dont the government take over Suvarna TV for instigating the whole thing. Or even better why dont the government take over a church or a masjid. It cannot because we are DUMB to see clearly through muck.

If you want to see the other side, please see for pictures and videos posted on nithyananda.org

“Ramalinga Gupta, N Mukund, Shanth Kumar Gupta, K R Shashidhar, N Pratap, S Vinayak, Jeevan Rao, H A Vijayendra and Inder Hari Inder”
These are the idiots who donated 22 acres of land to Nithyananda’s racket. While donatintg the land they claimed they were farmers. Not that they sold to Nityananda, the person, not any trust or charity.

According to Section 80 of the KLR Act, no transfer or sale of land to non-agriculturists is allowed. So how did Mr Rajasekaran alias Nityananda get land?

JK, looks like you are also one of the supporters or dont believe the media completely.
So, I ask u check the website http://www.nithyananda.org/ first
1. He claims to cure diabetes in 21 days, when u click on that link ; you are being to a program which never talks about how diabetes is cured.
2. He claims to be appearing in the list of top 100 spiritual leaders of the world. The original webpage (http://www.watkinsbooks.com/review/watkins-spiritual-100-list-2012) says that they selected top 100 based on
2.1) The person has to be alive
2.2) The person has to have made a unique and spiritual contribution on a global scale
2.3) The person is frequently googled, appears in Nielsen Data, and is actively talked about throughout the Internet
So, any lay man of India can say that Nithyananda was frequently googled for his sexual acts video and not for anything else.

Right from the days this so called nityanAnda landed in bidadi and opened a resort, whispers were doing rounds about illegal activities taking place. A Kannada tabliod then had even written an article about LTTE LINK.
Forced sex, breach of trust, real estate in guise of ashram is a phenomenon rampant in so called modern, self proclaimed godmen resorts across India.
What disturbs kannadigas more is, nityananda and his goonda like disciples hatred for Kannada language and kannadigas. This man conducts a press conference in Bangalore, answers question in Tamil and questions are asked in Kannada, he directs his assistants to answer them.kannadigas should not tolerate this humiliation.
IIT, IIM educated engineers, TECHIES from abroad and here falling prey to these fake godmen is a dangerous and worrisome trend.
BJP, RSS GENTLEMEN — grave threat to Hinduism not from Islam or other religion but these fake godmen who are destroying the very basis of Hinduism. U HAVE UR GOVT IN KARNATAKA, TAKE ACTION or STOP TALKING ABOUT DHARMA.

@ har.sri.ga
The scandal was in 2010. So you can say Nithyananda ranked high in google score because people were googling Nithyananda about the scandal. Watkins ranking was in 2012 based on 2011 scores (I presume) when there was no scandal. All that was happening in 2011 was the programs in the ashram. Please get your facts straight.

There are two issues: One Suvarna news and TV9 have done a decent job in exposing Nithynanda and his crooked followers. But another issue which no one in Karnataka seems to have bothered is same issue which they are highlighting and screaming for a governement action is sub-judice and Govt seems to have done a decent job in filing chargesheet. Yet, every few minutes an achor from Suvarna news screams at the top of their voice for taking action, accuse government of protecting Nithi etc without any evidence. Also they cook up a story of Ashramites attacking a kannada activist, whereas he got injured while trying to jump the gate..Whats their motive? It seems this news channel wants a mob kind of action of Governement, and they think they are higher authority than Judiciary??

Mr. K.L.Rao, I agree with you.
That is one thing. First of all, why the people (particularly educated or literate class) flock to such godmen and women! Why blame Nityananda or any other ananda. There are enough foolish people who want more and more and more of everything, more money, more peace….. Naturally, clever people encash the foolishness and vulnerability of the gullible.

I am with voyeur on this. Some people posing as journalists were protesting outside his place. He went and hid elsewhere. What exactly is the crime here? For what should he be arrested? Hiding because someone was troubling him?

Also, pray tell me, why should URA, SLB or any intellectual go around giving quotes every time Nithyananda makes the news? Next time, you can include Rahul Dravid or Anil Kumble too for good measure. Do you actually expect ‘intellectuals’ to keep commenting on every topic that interests you?

Also, no matter how many Nithyanandas come and go, people are always going to flock to them. That’s all my sympathy for people. Like Mr. Katju said, 90% of the people are stupid.

The nexus between the politicos and swamis in the South is strongly suspected with the former parking their ill-gotten money with the latter. Would that be the reason for the government resisting any action against them?
Also, people are to blame too. How gullible can they be to believe that a godman can treat chronic conditions like diabetes? The media must play a more responsible role in highlighting the misuse of religion and ‘faith’ by the unscrupulous who go be the name of swamis, and must alert people to beware of claims made by this trickster and sex maniac.

So finally the Karnataka government seems to have acted. It has ordered locking and sealing the Ashram and of course, search/arrest of the Sex Swami. While Suvarna Channel has no doubt opened a fresh chapter in fearless and incessant campaign-like reporting, a word of appreciation for the much-maligned Kannada activists. They are always on the forefront, they are the ones who take the lathi blows…

When Judiciary is wasting time even when there is no need for arguments or further investigations, what people have to do? A day will come every one will start taking law in to their hands. India will become the worst country to live.

All Swamiji’s are same. Exploiting the weakness and sentiments of the people and enjoying themselves along with politicians. Nityananda is exploiting the weeakness of sex hungry and others are exploiting the blind faiths. Yes Unless educated class themselves come out of the age old traditions that are not based on either science or Vedas we cannot stop people like Nityananda.

To the author, this article is really pointless :D I am a tamilian and i really hate those hooligans/so called fake kannada activists. But I really appreciate their work on this now. Hatsoff to them from People of TN, who were really wondering how to handle the Nithyananda, ever since he tried to take over the Madurai aadhenam, but now, the kannada thugs created some high drama and trouble, so finally nithi should perish. cheers boys, u rock ;) !

@JJ_India,
Actually a Tamil Thug was kicked out of Karnataka by Kannada Activists. Now he is where he belongs. You can now make him head all thug temples in all of thug land and send your women to get blessed. One day you make him CM and enjoy thug rule in thug land.

@Paul,
The scandal might have surfaced in 2010 but the video’s are still in demand. Therefore, people use goggle to search for those sleazy video’s. Also, get your presumptions clarified and bring out proof that survey was based on 2011 scores before asking me to get the facts right.

“Here the laws of India don’t apply. Just like the Vatican. You and me have to seek an appointment to get inside. Government officials have to wait at the gates before they are escorted in through the various layers of security by Nithyananda’s minions”
Looks like the journalist does not know the law of the land. It is a private property and even president of India needs permission to enter any private property. If the police is there for something more than routine inquiry, they need to have taken relevant warrant(search warrant, arrest warrant etc.). This piece of reporting is hatchet job and is suitable for third grade blog like Churumuri.

@Nastika factu .. factu… factu…. ! so when u guys gonna stop patronizing thugs.! like those swamijis or the KRV like linguistics thugs,… and dont cry we know hw to take care of our women.. better u guys do ur job at managlore to save them from mullas and in bangalore from ur beloved northies ! sic /

The post by ‘BS Nagaraj’ is full of ‘BS’ !!! Is this the level of ‘journalism’ we can expect from our guys? Agreed – The ‘kaLLa sanyaasi’ probably likes to have good sex with his devotees. It is between him and his clueless devotees. If there were any cases of rape or force, then there is a police and legal system to address the issue. Who are these thugs to enter the private property and assault the residents? Moreover, why did Govt interfere and close the ashram ? The whole thing is soooo fudged up!!